Though stressing that the possibility is still too premature, Jackson admits there's a 'story that we'd like to tell that we haven't been able to tell' in the upcoming two 'Hobbit' films.

Peter Jackson didn't rule out the possibility to make a third "Hobbit" movie after "The Hobbit: There and Back Again". While speaking to reporters during the Warner Bros. Pictures press conference at Comic-Con on Saturday, July 14, Jackson hinted that he might be interested to explore the tale in a third film, but insisting that the chance was still too premature.

"It's very premature," the New Zealander stated. "I mean, we have an incredible source material with the appendices because 'The Hobbit' is obviously a novel but we also have the rights to use this 125 pages of additional notes where Tolkien expanded the world of 'The Hobbit' published at the end of 'Return of the King'."

"We've used some of it so far and just in the last few weeks as we've been wrapping up the shooting and thinking about the shape of the story, [screenwriter] Fran [Walsh] and I have been talking to the studio about other things we haven't been able to shoot and seeing if we persuade them to do a few more weeks of shooting, probably more than a few weeks actually, next year."

The "Lord of the Rings" helmer revealed that there were some parts in the "Hobbit" tale that he hasn't explored in the two upcoming movies. "What form that would actually end up taking, well the discussion are pretty early," he noted, before adding, "So there isn't really anything to report but there's other parts of the story that we'd like to tell that we haven't been able to tell yet."

Claiming that "The Hobbit" movies would be "a lot darker and more serious" than the original J.R.R. Tolkien novel, Jackson explained, "So I don't want to make a children's story to go into 'The Lord of the Rings' so we are providing a balance."

Still, the director noted that there would be comedic elements included in the upcoming movies. "I mean, a lot of the comedy and the charm comes from the characters. You're dealing with Bilbo Baggins who is a bit more reluctant to go on an adventure than Frodo was and with Dwarves who have a personality and camaraderie all of their own, so there's a lot of humor but there are still come serious themes involved," he said.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will make its way out onto the U.S. theaters on December 14, while its follow up, "There and Back Again", will be dropped nationwide a year later on December 13.